Why is it that virtually all cream of chicken soups in existence on the market are made with wheat? Seriously. With cornflour being one of the best and most common thickeners, you’d think there’d be at least someΒ naturally gluten free ones out there, but nope.
So far I’ve only been able to find this oneΒ (from Waitrose)Β in the UK. But, unlike the affordable canned stuff, this is a fancier one found in the fridge section. And it’s more expensive. But at least it’s there if you’re ever in need of a quick, pre-made cream of chicken for a recipe. (Always double check the label in case the ingredients ever change)
In reality it’s easy to make from scratch, it just takes a bit of time. So if it’s something you miss, give it a try. π
If you don’t have double / heavy cream:
You can use butter and whole milk as an alternative. For 150ml cream, you’ll need 25g butter and 125ml milk.Β Just bear in mind that you may need to use a bit more cornflour to thicken the soup.
If you want it to be SUPER smooth and creamy:
Use a blender or food processor. I personally just use a hand held blender and it does a good enough job, but you’ll get an ever better, creamier result with a proper blender.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
- 1 onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 3 celery stalks (medium size)
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ⅓ tsp black pepper
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 500ml chicken stock (or 1.5 chicken stock cubes + 500ml water)
- 15g cornflour / cornstarch (1.5 Tbsp)
- 150ml double cream
- 185ml whole milk (3/4 cup)
- Fresh thyme (or herb of your choice, to garnish)
Directions
FIRST STEP: COOK THE CHICKEN IN STOCK
- Finely chop the onion, celery and garlic.
- Heat up the olive oil on medium/low heat in a non-stick pan.
- Add the chicken thighs and cook for a few minutes, just long enough to sear and slightly brown each side.
- Then add the chopped veg, salt and black pepper and pan fry for another 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the chicken stock and fresh thyme, put a lid on and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Note: keep an eye on it from time to time and add a bit more water at any point if necessary.
Β
STEP 2: BLEND AND ADD THE CREAM
- Let the soup cool down a little and then blend it with a hand held blender (or a food processor if you want it SUPER creamy). Note: if you like having bits of chicken left in your soup, set aside some of the cooked chicken before blending. Chop it up in small pieces and add it back in at the end.
- In a bowl, mix the cream and cornflour until smooth and lump free. Then add the milk, little by little.
- Then turn the heat back on low and stir the cream mixture into the soup. Stir constantly as the soup thickens. Note:Β feel free to add more milk if you want Β your soup to be more runny. Or add a little more cornflour (mixed with a bit of milk first) to thicken it up some more.
- Serve with some fresh thyme (or herb of your choice) on top as well as some chicken bits.
Hope you like it. π
Kimi x
